Ministers are facing a battle with Tory MPs over “warped” rail franchises that
mean commuters in the South subsidise passengers in the North.

Rail users were hit again yesterday when they learnt that fares are
to increase by an average of 4.1 per cent next year. By January, prices
will have jumped by 40 per cent since 2008, compared with a 15 per cent
increase in average earnings.

The Government is now facing a fresh protest over the way that passengers on
the country’s most-crowded commuter trains pay a premium to subsidise rail
services elsewhere. Travellers on South West Trains,